Mission:

Louisiana Treasures is a non-profit educational organization that has the overall goal to expose today's younger generations to past cultures and people that existed in the Lake Ponchartrain area, by preserving and making available uncovered items.

History:

Wayne Norwood began the primary collection of Louisiana Treasures in 1968, when he assisted police officials in the recovery of police evidence, by diving into the waters of and around Lake Ponchartrain. During one of the dives, he uncovered a buried bottle. Not knowing what specific type of bottle it was, Wayne inquired into the item's history. Learning about the object's significance inspired Wayne to continue diving and discovering more of Lake Ponchartrain's treasures. Using an old map and observing the tides of the lake, Wayne located and explored long abandoned old homesteads and sites in towns, like Manchac and Ruddock. After undertaking numerous diving excursions, Wayne was able to expand his main collection beyond bottles to include indian artifacts; agricultural objects, and materials from multiple wars, like the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and the Korean War. Norwood expanded Louisiana Treasures in 2007 with the Louisiana Law Enforcement Memorial Center. After working as a police officer and suffering the deaths of several fellow colleagues, Wayne decided to commerate the sacrifices of Louisiana police officials who died in the line of duty. Wayne, who visited several other memorials throughout the country and noticed that usually only name tags were listed for the displays, deemed that these fallen police officials deserved more. Thus, the Memorial Center at Louisiana Treasures honors the police, as well as their families, by providing visitors with a brief description that includes the names of each individual and their families and details regarding their deaths in an effort to make it more personal.